Depending on modes used, amps today need to do more than older amps.
Back when the power limit was 1 KW input amps had to produce nearly half
the power that modern amps do. 1500 W out with RTTY, Cw or PSK31
requires a lot more guts as well as low IMD. Modern tube amps that can
really do this also cost around $6K so that seems to be the market price
point for a good gutsy amp regardless of the technology.
On 4/30/12 5:17 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
> Bravo, Jim. Interestingly, Elecraft showed a PA-1500 at Dayton for
> several years, and I know they had at least one out for field test. It
> had a flock of super features, including very fast band-changing, QSK,
> etc. Sounds a lot like the KPA-500 X3
>
> Recently, someone commented authoritatively (well, it sounded like it)
> on the Elecraft reflector that Wayne and Eric had decided against
> marketing the amp because it would have to be priced at $6000, and they
> thought that price point was too high. Recent discussion about SS amps,
> however, seems to indicate that this pricing would now be reasonable,
> and I, for one, would seriously consider making it my first new amp,
> even though $6K is more than I have spent on ham equipment in the last
> decade.
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
> The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at
> reversebeacon.blogspot.com,
> spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000 and
> arcluster.reversebeacon.net, port 7000
>
>
> On 4/29/2012 11:02 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> On 4/29/2012 5:24 PM, Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>>>> Most of the tube designs have been significantly "over engineered".
>>>>> That is, the tubes have excess plate dissipation for the power output
>>>>> and grids that will take a significant beating.
>>> Which is a plus for tubes.
>> Naw, it's a plus for conservative design.
>>
>> One thing that seems to be missed in this discussion about home brewing
>> amps was clearly pointed in a comment in this thread -- the key to solid
>> state amp design is THERMAL design and protection. Those are very
>> different skills than most amp designers of our generation learned, so
>> at least in part, it's an "old dog new tricks" problem, not a limitation
>> of the technology.
>>
>> 73, Jim K9YC
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>>
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